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Published: December 30th 2007
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JT w/ male Eagle-Owl
Bruce's gentle tiercel eagle owl, Young Wilf - a bit over 4 pounds. Can you imagine a 6 pound female? Hello, beautiful Scotland!
The flight (December 26th, 2007) was painless, a mere 35 minutes later, and I was on the ground. We came in late and didn't even see a customs agent. My guitar arrived in good shape, without incident, and I walked 10 feet out of the baggage area to a familiar voice.
"Hello, Yank!" It was good to see him, a bit pale and sallow in the eyes, but standing tall, a far cry from the man who'd suffered a near-fatal heart attack the week before. Anne was off to one side, and it was truly good to be greeted by them. Some people just feel like family from the start.
We drove on in from Glasgow to the house, some 20 miles, and I settled in front of the compact coal & wood fireplace, and we began becoming better acquainted in person. I would come to meet their female English Pointer - a much sweeter, calmer, brighter creature than most of the breed I've encountered in the states. Over the coming days, we'd talk of hawks, falcons, owls, eagles, eagle-owls, laws, politics, foods, music (Bruce is a die-hard Oysterband fan)... and I'd find that the
Driving through suburbia
Some 20 miles outside of Glasgow people and lands of Scotland are all too easy to fall for.
I'm writing this early on the morning of the 30th. Let's catch up a bit.
The 27th was a short day. I slept a lot, and then Ann and Bruce took me to a lach (lake, for you Yanks) and nature center, where I learned a valuable lesson about the nature of moisture there: No matter HOW good your balance is, or how well-treaded your sneakers are, you WILL slip if you try to step up onto a railroad timber in Scotland in the rain. The growth is slicker than anything I've ever encountered before, and a hint of fog is all it takes to make it impossible to stand on -- at all! So yes, yours truly narrowly missed slipping on into the lake -- er, lach. Anne and Bruce were reasonably amused, and the camera was saved, so... nothing much injured besides my pride.
On the 28th, Anne and her family and I went on a bus tour of Glasgow. (Yes, me, on a tour.) Anne's daughter is dating a guy who works for the company, so he provided the tour himself on
Panorama 1
No words would suffice his day off. (Thank you, Jonathan! I had a great time!) It was interesting to see and learn that the Scots had the statue of Liberty atop their buildings before the French ever decided to give that statue to the United States. In general look and feel, downtown Glasgow's shopping district reminded me a lot of Chicago. Anne tells me that New York city was patterned after Glasgow... and of course Kentucky is chocked full of Scotish cities (which makes sense once you see how similar some of their hill views are.) Later in the day, we took the train back and caught up with Bruce. From there, it was on to meet up with another falconer at the falconry school he operates at a local hotel. Graham was a very pleasant host, and we talked shop for about an hour. I learned a bit about Steppe eagle identification, and enjoyed the visit.
The 29th was Sleep In day, and I managed to stay in bed til just after noon (which is part of why I'm up editing this at 4:30 am). At about 2 pm, we headed out, Anne and I, to take advantage of the rare clear
blue skies and low position of the sun. The hills were bathed in what photographers refer to as Golden Hour - for the rest of the afternoon! The vistas were magnificent!
If there was one last place that God made before He rested, it was decidedly Scotland, His crowning masterpiece. You might see such beauty in places elsewhere in the world, but nowhere else I've ever been has so much been contained in so close an area. Anne took me about in their diesel 4x4 Honda, covering only about 20 miles from their home, yet seeing terrains and sights enough to last a lifetime! Snow-frosted mountaintops, rain forests, plains, mountains of old pine and oak forests and heather.... Hawks, eagles, kestrels, deer, pheasants... all manner of creature great and small, all flourishing. And open lands everywhere!
Like New Zealand, the sheep of Scotland outnumber the people (2:1 in Scotland.) That's a lot of open grazing land. At first I thought it a shame, a waste, that such obvious and ample water shouldn't be growing crops. But the hills that drain well are too steep for commercial harvest equipment, and those that are of lesser grade are too wet
So come the Highlands
Glasgow is the gateway to the ·Scotish Highlands. for crops in a climate that seldom sees 70 degrees F. even in summer. So it remains beautiful, largely untouched. Forests may be harvested, but under control and replanted, to be harvested again in 30 years. It's every bit as green and beautiful as anything Ireland has to offer. I'm told that the beaches to the north are white sand, with palms. Yep, the northern beaches of Scotland are dead-set in the middle of the Gulf Stream! What a place, eh?
The day ended at a castle that dates back to the 1300's, which was converted to a hotel in the mid 1990's. We sipped on coffees and enjoyed the atmosphere, and I snagged a few shots there as well. That evening found us eating Indian cuisine for a modest 10£ ($22.00) each. I have to admit, when you pay more, you get a better quality of food than the $6.95 Indian buffets found in the States.
The last stop of the day was a bit of a shocker. We went to the grocery store... and something seemed all too familiar. Sure enough, the Walmart virus has spread to Scotland as well. It's under a different name, but
Golden Oaks
At this time of year, the sun is low in Scotland. This translates the landscape to an even more magical place, as the Golden Hour photographers so enjoy lasts much longer. the Durabrand surround-sound systems and other similar styles of marketing Chinese electronics prevail. Meat was the same there as here, which makes it downright cheap by UK standards, and though inexpensive bread still costs $1.18 a loaf, the bread here in Scotland actually has substance and weight to it -- a far cry from the crap we're fed in the U.S. for the same price. Why is that? Because the Scots would never buy or tolerate the air loafs we get in the U.S. IT would grow mold on the shelves before they'd eat or buy it... so they're provided with decent quality food at the same price... or less.
Many of the shots in this blog (and I'll add more tomorrow) were taken with Bruce's Fuji S9600 (which I highly recommend.) It's his replacement to the Fuji S5600. I'd complimented him on the camera when we returned, before Anne and I headed off to Indian food and the Scots-Walmart, and asked him to advise me as to a decent price on one. It takes FAR better pictures than my admittedly appreciated but aging and inexpensive Konica, and I realized I'd need better shots from now on. When I
got back, Bruce set me back a few paces when he told me he was loaning me the S5600 ... indefinitely. Class act, he is, and I very much appreciate being able to retire the Konica in favor of the Fuji S5600. I'll keep the Konica as a backup, but from now on you'll be graced by much better pics. THANK YOU, Bruce!
Scotland is truly God's country... but still too wet and cold and regulated for me. I'll enjoy the stay, and getting to know good friends even better, but I'm looking forward to returning to Dakar. Bill informs me that 2 (make that 4) French tourists and some members of the military were killed in Mauritania, so I'm getting more than a little bit nervous about the notion of traveling overland through there just now. I may have to put together some extra bucks and spring for the airfare from Agadir to Dakar. It's offensive to pay twice as much for that short hop as I did for the entire run from the U.S. to Agadir, but that's still cheap life insurance in Africa. I'll keep you posted....
The articles are found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7159420.stm and
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071227/ap_on_re_af/mauritania_tourists_killed
Heather-covered Crag
this beauty is jsut behind Aberfoyle. Like much of Scotland, small towns are collected amidst the rampant beauty found around every corner. Check back on this blog in a day or two for the rest of the pictures. It's 05:12 now, and I've got to get some sleep!
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